Tool for lowering or raising safety devices in oil wells

ABSTRACT

A tool for lowering or raising a safety device in an oil well comprises a hollow cylindrical body, a plunger which reciprocates axially in said body in response to fluid pressure pulses, means for converting the axial movement of said plunger to rotary movement of a rotatable member, and nut and screw means for converting the rotary movement of said rotating member to axial movement by a screw which actuates pincer means.

e I United States Patent 1 1 3,764,176 Soulie' et a1. [4 1 Oct. 9, 1973 54] TOOL FOR LOWERING 0R RAISING 3,378,080 4/1968 Fredd 294/8615 x SAFETY DEVICES IN OIL WELLS 2,947,521 8/1960 Tappmeyer.. 166/117] U r 3,485,388 12/1969 Bohne 294/110 R X Inventors: y Souhe, Blllere; Gerard Lozach, 3,388,942 6/1968 10111158011 61 al. 294 110 R x Neuilly-Plaisance, both of France 1,577,833 3/1926 McCracken 294/86.17

. 1,110,639 9/1914 Moore 166/1177 [73] Ass'gnee- 'f' l' De Q 1,717,497 6/1929 Davis 294/8617 D Actlvmes Petmlleres F )1 Paris, 2,601,614 6/1952 Johnson 166 153 x France [22] Filed: Apr. 15, 1971 Primary ExaminerRichard E. Aegerter Assistant Examiner-W. Scott Carson Appl' l34183 a Att0rneyHolcombe, Wetherill & Brisebois [30] Foreign Application Prlonty Data 57] ABSTRACT Apr. 17, 1970 France 7013941 v A tool for lowermg or ralsmg a safety device in an 011 521 US. Cl 294/86.25, 166/153, 175/247, Well comprises a hollow Cylindrical body, a p g 1 294/861 which reciprocates axially in said body in response to [51] Int. CL" 31/02, 5 33/10 521C 19/00 fluid pressure pulses, means for converting the axial 58 Field 61 Search 166/1177, 1'53, 156; movement Ofsaid Plunger Wary mvemem 018 175/247; 294/865 8617 86.22, 8625 tatable member, and nut and screw means for converting the rotary movement of said rotating member to [56] References Cited axial movement by a screw which actuates pincer UNITED STATES PATENTS a 3,618,177v 11/1971 Wood 166/1177 X 3 Claims ll Dravvin g Figures 26 /-27 2 & wyzg 1' 1 3'l- 34- I i PATENTED [1m 9 I975 SHEET 10F 5 PATENTED ems 3,764,176

SHEET 30F 5 v SHEET 5 IF 5 PATENTEU BET 9 75 1 TOOL FOR LOWERIN G OR RAISING SAFETY DEVICES IN OIL WELLS include those operated by cables, in which the safety exerted on these cables.

2 FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a ratchet mechanism used in the tool.

FIG. 1 shows an underwater well,'beneath sea-level (1). The sea-bed 2 has been drilled and lined with a casing' 3, transversing an oil-bearing layer 4. Two tub- I ings 5 and 6 are inserted in the casing. They are parallel Units for underwater wells also include those in which lowering and raising are done by means of a tool forced along an operating tubing by fluid pressure. This 7 to each other, and are connected in the region of the oil-bearing layer by a circulation coupling 7. The casing is suspended from a suspension head 8, which carries a Christmas tree 9. The tubings 5 and 6 continue through the top of this Christmas tree (10 and 11), to

form a circle with a fairly large radius. They then continue (l3 and 14), along the sea-bed, and are linked to the land. Valves 9a, 100, and 12a (which is placed on the production line 12), allow the oil to be extracted along the line 12, when the valve 12a is open, and the valve 10a shut, or operations to lower or raise safety devices to be performed. To this effect the tubing 6 is open at the bottom, being fitted with a filter, for instance, while the lower end of the tubing 5 is closed.

The lowering and'raising tools thus move inside the tubing 14, 10, 6, while the tubing 5, ll, 13 is used for invention, which is pushed by a set of propelling devices moved by pressure, consists of a hollow cylindrical body containing a mechanism involving a driving part and a driven part, the driving part being acted upon by a plunger which can slide axially in the upper part of the tool as the result of impulses imparted by fluid pressure against the force of a spring, in such a way as to bring about a shift in the driven part, linked to the upper end of a piston, the lower end of which is outside the tool, and which operates the clips toattach the safety device.

According to the invention, this tool is characterized mainly by the fact that the said mechanism also includes a rotating component (32), held lengthwise in the casing (27) by a stop (35), so' that it can rotate inside the casing without moving lengthwise, and a system (30, 32), to convert the axial movement of the driving part (30) into a rotary movement of the rotatwards. These devices provide a more or less hermetic ing component (32), which is attached rigidly to one of v tate, forms the driven part of the said mechanism.

It will be easier to understand the invention from reading the following description, illustrated by the accompanying figures.

FIG. 1 represents the installation layout of the tubings with which the lowering or raising tool according to the invention is used;

FIG. 2 represents a detailed diagram of the tubings, near the circulation connection linking the two tubings.

FIG. 3 represents a detailed illustration of the driving part of the lowering or raising tool.

FIG. 3a shows a transverse cross-sectional view along theline IIIa-Illa on FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 shows the hooking section of the tool.

FIG. 5 shows the same part, in the position.

FIG. 6 shows the active part of the raising tool, in the arrival position.

FIG. 7 shows the same raisingtool in the hooking position.

FIG. 8 shows this same tool in the release position, in the event of the safety device remaining jammed.

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the lowering vor raising tool and the setting mechanism.

seal between themselves and the wall of the tubing, and they push in front of them the lowering and raising tool 19, connected to the safety device 20 which is to be installed in the well.

This safety device may be a solid plug, or a calibrated valve, to stop the flow of fluid from the oil well in the event of incidents at the head of the well, or a two-way valve which will close, for instance, at a given backpressure, and also at a given direct pressure.

The cirulation connection 7 allows the fluid forced out by the propelling devices to re-ascend by the tubing 5, the bottom of which is closed. Conversely, the establishment of fluid circulation along the tubing 5 allows the tools in the well to be raised: the propelling devices l8'pull the lowering and raising tool and, if necessary, the safety devices.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the lowering or raising tool.

The component 22 is used to link the tool and the propelling devices. It consists of two parts, screwed together so as to allow a spring 25 to be placed in position. The two parts are held together rigidly by a pin 23.

Inside this component is a plug 24, the purpose of which will be explained in connection with FIG. 9. The component 22 ends in a rounded piston-head 26, allowing it to move out of alignment with the casing 27 of the main tool, when moving round bends in the tubing.

The hollow body 27 rests on the round-ended piston, and on the spring 25. The casing 27 is screwed on to an extension 39, making assembly easier. Inside the casing 27, a component 28 with engagement pawls is pressed against the end of the-piston by a spring 29. The pawls of the component 28 are engaged in a ratchet 30, which cannot turn, and which faces a ratchet 32, able to turn and fixed by a pin 31 to a shaft 34, also able to turn. Bearings 33 make rotation easier. The shaft 34 is pre- The bottom end of this shaft is threaded, and can be screwed into a nut with the same thread 42, which is prevented from turning by a plate 37, so that it moves lengthwise when the shaft 34 is turned. The nut has a non-circular cross-section, and moves through a matching opening in the plate 37. The nut is attached rigidly to a rod 41 by a pin 43 at its base. Two pincers 40, the purpose of which will be explained below, are placed round the rod 41.

FIG. 4 shows the lower part of the tool, including the rod 41 and the pincers 40. These pincers are held in their locking position by a wider section on the rod 41. They then fit into two recesses 44a and 44b in the casing of the safety device 44. The base of this safety device is shown in position in its seating 45, prepared for it in the tubing before installation of this tubing 46. The locking ratchets 440 are still flat against the safety device. 1

FIG. 5, like FIG. 4, shows the lower part of the tool. As a result of the action of the tool, the rod 41 rises and the pincers 40 'close. They have left the recesses 44a and 44b, sliding donnwards, while the extension 39 of the casing 27 causes the ratchets, 44c, attached to the casing 44 of the safety device, to move apart, as the upper casing 47 slides downwards.

By changing the direction of circulation of the fluid, the tool can then be disengaged and raised.

FIG. 6 shows the lower part of a tool equipped for raising a safety device. This part of the tool differs from the part shown in FIG. 5 in two ways. The pincers 52 have only one shoulder, and the piston 53 includes a narrower section 53a followed by a wider section 53b.

The tool 51 is lowered along the tubing 54, with the shoulders of the pincers 52 level with the narrower section 530 on the piston 53. The tool component 39 presses on the casing 47 of the safety device.

Pressure impulses make the ratchet 32 turn (FIG. 3) as a result of the to-and-fro movement of the components 26 and 28, and the non-rotating ratchet wheel 30. The result of this is to draw the piston 53 upwards (FIG. 6).

FIG. 7 shows the tool when it hasgripped its load.

The pincers 52 are held apart by the wider section of the piston 53. Raising can then begin. Reverse circulation is set in motion through the second tubing. The head 47 of the safety device begins by following the raising tool, sliding along the casing 57 of the device. This releases the blocking ratchets 56. The separate movement of the head is halted by the ratchets 58, which draw up the whole safety device. Circulation pressure is continued, so that the whole assembly moves upwards.

FIG. 8 shows the release operation of the raising tool in the event of the safety device being jammed.

If the resistance offered by the jammed device is too high, pressure impulses are given in order to raisethe piston 53 further. The pincers 52 are released and can close, releasing the load. Another impulse, involving direct circulation, relocks the blocking ratchets 56 (not shown here). The tool can then be raised and adjusted for another test, in which the series of propelling devices 18 has been modified (FIG. 2).

FIG. 9 shows the method of assembly for adjustment of the tool. The plug (FIG. 3) is unscrewed, and a shank 59 ending in a flat section 63 is inserted into the central channel of the round-headed piston 26. The flat section fits into a mortice provided for it in the rotating component. The shank 59 is gripped in a guide 60, which replaces the cap 24.

There is a slot 61 at the top of the shank, and ajoint 62 enables the shank to turn easily inside the guide 60.

The shank 59 is turned with a spanner, making the component 34 and the ratchet wheel 32 turn. The component 42, and the piston 41 fixed to it by the pin 43, are thus shifted lengthwise. The tool is adjusted so that the wider section of the piston 41 holds the pincers 40 apart, where the tool is being used to lower a safety device, or closed where it is being used to raise a device,

' and so that one turn of the component 34 will release or engage'this wider section. The tool is then ready for use, and the number of pressure impulses needed to release or engage it is known. The component is next removed, then the shank 59, and finally the cap 24 is screwed back on.

The tool is used as follows to instal a safety device (well-bottom valve known as a storm-choke, for instance, to be fitted into the position provided at the lower end of the tubing, known as the landing nipples).

The storm-choke is fitted to the front of the tool, which is then adjusted as described above, and connected to the propelling devices. The whole assembly is inserted into the tubing 14 (FIG. 1). The valve 10a is opened and the valve 12a shut. A pump is connected to the tubing 14, and oil is rejected, so that the tool assembly is driven along the tubing, through the section 10 and into the section 6, while the fluid forced out returns along the tubing 13. When the storm-choke reaches the landing nipple, a pressure impulse is felt, since the circulation coupling 7 is situated so that the propelling devices remain above it when the stormchoke is in position.

The propelling devices are designed in such a way as to involve a large pressure loss, but allow a small flow of oil to pass. The assembly is now stationary. Pressure variations are produced, with the result (FIG. 3), that the component 26 is pushed downwards, along with the component 28 and the non-rotating ratchet-wheel 30. This ratchet causes the ratchet-wheel 32, to which the shaft 34 is fixed by the pin 31, to turn. The shaft 34] shifts the nut component 42 lengthwise, drawing the piston 41 upwards. The number of impulses provided for during adjustment is applied, plus three or four as a safety measure. The pincers 40 are released from their recesses, releasing the storm-choke (FIG. 5), and then an additional impulse pushes the upper section 47 of the storm-choke downwards, forcing the blocking ratchets 440 into their recesses. Reverse circulation is then started up along thetubing 13 and the propelling devices operate in the opposite direction, withdrawing the tool, which is recovered at 14.

Raising of a sfaety device is carried out similarly. The piston 41 is replaced by another piston 53 (FIG. 6), opera'ted in the same way but slightly different in shape.

What is claimed is:

1. A tool for lowering and raising a safety device in an oil well, said tool comprising:

a hollow cylindrical body (27),

a driving member (28) actuated by a piston (26) and mounted to slide axially in said body in response to pulses imparted thereto by fluid pressure,

a spring mounted in said body to resist movement of said driving member in response to said pulses and return said driving member to an initial position after each pulse, a rotating member (31) mounted .in said body,

' an intermediate mechanism (19, 30, 32) for convertv pincer means (40) connected to be actuated by axial movement of said driven component to engage said safety device.

2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which said intermediate mechanism comprises a first non-rotating ratchet member (30) in which said driving member (28) slides to impart rotational movement to a second rotatable ratchet member 32) which turns said rotating member when struck by said first ratchet member, said rotating member being connected to turn 'said screw component.

3. Tool as claimed in claim 1 comprising two axially spaced propelling devices attached to said driving member in axial alignment therewith. 

1. A tool for lowering and raising a safety device in an oil well, said tool comprising: a hollow cylindrical body (27), a driving member (28) actuated by a piston (26) and mounted to slide axially in said body in response to pulses imparted thereto by fluid pressure, a spring mounted in said body to resist movement of said driving member in response to said pulses and return said driving member to an initial position after each pulse, a rotating member (31) mounted in said body, an intermediate mechanism (29, 30, 32) for converting axial movement of said driving member to rotary movement of said rotating member, a driven member (41) mounted for axial movement in said body, means comprising a screw component (34) and an interfitting nut component (42) for converting the rotary movement of said rotating member to axial movement by said driven member, said rotating member being connected to one of said components and said driven member being connected to the other of said components, and pincer means (40) connected to be actuated by axial movement of said driven component to engage saId safety device.
 2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which said intermediate mechanism comprises a first non-rotating ratchet member (30) in which said driving member (28) slides to impart rotational movement to a second rotatable ratchet member (32) which turns said rotating member when struck by said first ratchet member, said rotating member being connected to turn said screw component.
 3. Tool as claimed in claim 1 comprising two axially spaced propelling devices attached to said driving member in axial alignment therewith. 